Portable lighter.



C. HUBERT.

PORTABLE LIGHTER.

APPLIoATIoN rILnD AUG. 17, 1909.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

(Tinus ul'oz @Hof/mnt] o 13h/Leases:

material known` as a pyro horic 4the borough of Manhattan,

-will emit a shower of sparks capable UNITED sTATEsPATENT ormony connai) HUBERT, 0F Nnwyonx, N. Y.

PORTABLE momma.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CONRAD HUBERT, citizen of the United States of America, residing in city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, `have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Lighters, of lwhich the following vis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompalndying drawings, forming part thereof.

Ay invention relates generally to portable or pocket lightersand particularly to thaty type of such lighters wherein a frictional sparking device is employed.

My invention has for its objects simplicity and economy of construction, ease of operation, compactness and durability.

I employ as a spark producing parlt a al oy, which, upon comparatively slight fricion, o 1 niting a tinder or wick. Such pyrophoric alloys are now known tothe art and may constitute an alloy of'some one or more of the lrare earth metals, for example, an alloy containing cerium and iron has been found suitable for the urpose. However, it should be understood t at my present invention is not directly concerned with the nature or composition of the pyrophoric alloy empl'oyed,but has to do with an ignition device adapted to employ such sparking material or .pyrophoric alloy. The coacting friction., element is also of a metallic' nature, but of considerably harder material, as for example, steel, and in my present invention is in the form of a friction disk.

" My invention includes a guide arrangedy substantially parallel with a wick tube andthe mounting of the friction disk to rotate in a plane passing longitudinally through the wick tube and the ide.

My invention inc udes a construction embodying a friction disk adapted to be dithehand without the usel of 4intermediate gearing.

My invention also includes several details of construction and combinations of 'parts as will hereinafter a pear. l

I shall now descrl my 'invention with I reference to the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter claims. v

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the complete device with the cover omitted. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cover. Fig.

point out my .invention in Y Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 17,- 1909. Serial No.

3 is a vertical section on a plane indicated by the line 3 3, of Fig. 1 as viewed from the right. Fig. '4 is an enlarged cross-secf tion on a plane indicated by the line 1l-4 of Fig. 1, as viewed from the to In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, a flattened sheet metal casing 5 is provided with a `wick tube 6 adjacent to one edge thereof: For convenience and simplicity of construction, the wick tube 6 is cut away or is open substan tially along its side adjacent to the edge wall of the casing V5, so that the wick 7 comes directly in contact with the curved.

wall of the casing 5. An extension at the lower end of the wick tube forms a bottom closure 8 for the casing 5. The casing 5 is provided at its upper end with a sleeve 9 largely` telescoped therein but forming an extension therefrom adapted to receive and hold a cover 10. For conveniently raising and lowering the wick a star wheel 11 is pivoted on a pin l2 shown as supported by ears extending from the casing 5, such star wheel engaging the wick 7 through a slot shown as formed through the casing 5, sleeve 9 and wick tube 6. In the invention as illustrated, the wick 7 is of a material which quickly forms a tinder when spark-ignited.

.It is preferably of considerable length and as the wick tube extends through the bottom yof the casing the wick may have, as shown,

a reserve portion extending below the lower end of the casin Sparking devlces are provided for igniting the upper end 'of the wick exposed above the upper end of the wick tube. A guide tube 13 extends parallel with thewick'tube 6 substantially throughout the length of the casing 5 and sleeve 9 and is shown as sup- Patented Apr. 2, 1912.V

ported by thebottom'closure 8 and the sleeve The guide tube 13 is'shown `as of substantially rectangular shape except at its lower end and has at its upper end upwardly extending side lugs 14, between which is pivoted a friction disk 15 on a pivot pin 16. Itis to be noted that the friction disk 15 is mounted to rotate in a plane passing longitudinally through the wick tube 6 and the guide tube 13, eing thereby in an advantageous I position for engagement by the thumb and also, in connection with the parallel arrangement of the wick tube and the guide tube, contributing to compa'ctness of construction.

metal and may be of steel and is roughenedv This friction disk is of hard vided with milled spiral Iof sparking material, such as hereinbefore thereof.

.10 `and turning up on its peripheral face, being shown as pro'- ridges. Abar 17 described, and of rectangular cross-section, fits loosely in the guide tube 13 and is pressed against the under side of the roughened peripheryof thefriction disk 15 by a coiled thrust spring l8 in the tube 13 below the bar 17 and abuttingat its lower end against a screw plug 19 threaded into the cylindrical lower end of the-guide tube 13. Both the sparking element 17 and the wick tube`6 are located substantially at the same side of the friction disk 15l and substantially at the same side of a plane tangent to the frictio disk and passing between the sparking element '17 and the friction disk 15,` and also passing between the wick 7 and the friction disk 15, thereby leaving a llarge portion of the periphery of the friction disk 15 exposed and givingiune obstructed access thereto for easy actuation after 'removing the cover the wick to substantially the thumb is In operation,

the position shown in Fig. 1,

pressed against the exposed periphery ofv the combined friction disk and thumb wheel 15 and is drawn downward so as to rotate Iso ` the Wick tube,

the friction disk in the direction indicated by the arrow 20, whereupon a shower of sparks will be driven from the upper end of the bar 17 against the contiguous exposed portion of the wick 7 and will ignite the same. After using the device, the wick 7 is extinguished by replacing the cover 10. It is to be noted that very nearly the entire length of the mat'erial'of the sparking bar 17 can be used-and, when it is nearly gone, a fresh bar may be readily inserted upon removal of the screw plug and` push '1 spring 18.

vIt 1s obvious that various lmodifications may be made in the construction shown/and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I. claim:

l. A portable tube, a guide substantially para l with friction disk located'at the endl of the guide and mounted to rotate in a. plane passing longitudinally through the wick tube 'and the guide and in exposed position so as to be directly manually operatable, a sparking element' slidable along the guide 'intoe'ngagement with the combined thumb. wheel and friction diskyand `.means for pressing the s arking element against the combined vthum wheel andfriction disk.'A

lighter comprising a wick a combined thumb wheel and Viitnesses: A

2. A portable lighter comprising a wick tube, a combine/d thumb wheel and friction disk mounted to rotate in a plane passing longitudinally through the wick tube and located adjacent to the end of the wick tube, a sparkin element, and means for holding the sparklng element in engagement with the'combined thumb wheel and friction disk.

3. A portable lighter comprising a wick tubeadapted to expose a wick at its upper end,'a guide tube. substantially parallel with the wick tube and bifurcated at its upper end. to .form side lugs in proximity to the upper end of the wick tube, means joining the wick tube and the guide tube, a combined friction disk and directly manually operatable actuating wheel pivoted between the side'lugs and disposed in a plane passing longitudinally through the wick tube and the guide tube, a bar of sparking material slidable in the guide tube into engagement With the peripheral face of the disk, a coiled thrust spring in the guide tube below such bar for pressing the bar into frictional engage'ment with `the disk, and an abutment forl the-lower end of the spring:

4;. A. portable lighter comprising a casing,

a wick tube therein adapted to expose a wick at its upper end, a guide'ltube therein substantially parallel with thewick tube, a bar of sparking material the guide tube and exposed at the upper end thereof adjacent to the exposed portion 0f the wick, a combined friction disk and thumb wheel perlpherally fictionally enloosely slidable in gaging the exposed end of the bar of sparkl ing material, a coiled thrust spring 1n the ,guide tube below such bar and abutting the and a screw plug inthe f lower end thereof, lower end of the guide tube forming an abutment for the lower end of the spring,

theb'ar of sparking'material being of polygonal cross-section and the contiguous portions of the guide tube being suiiiciently cone of such ar in the formed to the cross-,sectional sha bar to prevent rotation of the guide tube.

5. In -a portable lighter, with a sparking element, thumb wheel and friction disk, and means for pressing the sparking element into contact with the combined thumb wheel'and friction disk.

the' combination, of a combined 1n testimony whereof l ax my signature` in presence of two witnesses.

cometan HUBERT.

WM. ASHLEY KELLY, j BERNARD Cowen. 

